"I'm home!" Naruto shouted, slamming the front door open.
"Don't yell so loud!" Kushina called from the kitchen. "You're a Chunin now, not a wild monkey!"
"But I am a Chunin!" Naruto laughed. "You have to listen to me!"
"Only if you clean your room first!" Kushina rolled her eyes but smiled.
"I just cleaned it yesterday…" Naruto pouted and flopped down on the living room floor, still wearing his dark green Chunin vest.
The knock on the door came just as Naruto started bragging again.
"I'll get it!" he said, leaping up and pulling the door open.
Kakashi stood outside with his hands in his pockets, his silver hair shining under the afternoon sun.
"Yo," Kakashi said.
"Oh, hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grinned widely. "You're here to see how awesome I look in my vest, huh?"
"You finally stopped freeloading off me. I might cry."Kakashi looked him over with a straight face.
"Tch. I didn't freeload that much…" Naruto humphed and turned his head.
"I'll believe that when my food bills go down," Kakashi said, stepping inside.
"Come in, Kakashi," Kushina said from the couch with a soft smile. "We've got tea if you want."
"I won't say no," Kakashi replied, settling into the chair across from her. "The house feels more peaceful already. Must be because I'm not hearing ramen slurps at 2 a.m."
"You guys are both picking on me!"Naruto crossed his arms.
"We're allowed. You're the baby of the house now."Kushina laughed.
"So," she added curiously, "why'd you come by, Kakashi?"
Kakashi leaned back, his expression serious now. "I need Kurama's help."
Kurama's eyes snapped open inside Naruto's mind. He groaned immediately.
"Ugh, tell that silver-haired sponge I'm not feeling generous today," Kurama growled.
"Uhh… Kurama says no." Naruto blinked.
"I figured." Kakashi sighed.
He slowly lifted his head, both his eyes glowing red now, twin three-tomoe Sharingan spinning gently.
"I think he should reconsider," Kakashi said casually, voice calm but the threat could be heard in his tone.
Inside Naruto's mind, Kurama flinched.
"Two…? Both eyes?" Kurama narrowed his gaze. "That chakra… no, not normal. That's not a regular Sharingan."
The fox's eyes narrowed further.
"That's pupil power. Real one. I've only felt it like this… from Madara. And that brat, Sasuke."
Kurama clicked his tongue.
"…Fine. Let him take some. But if he pulls too hard, I'm biting him." He definitely wasn't scared. Definitely.
"He says… okay, but don't be rough." Naruto scratched his head nervously.
"Understood." Kakashi nodded.
With a light clap of his hands, Kakashi activated a barrier seal around the room. A soft hum spread through the air, forming a transparent dome that shimmered with blue chakra.
"Just in case this makes some noise," he said.
"You're really doing something serious, huh?" Kushina's brows raised slightly.
"I need a larger source of chakra," Kakashi explained. "More than before. I've improved the Genesis Seal. I want to see what happens if I absorb from a tailed beast properly. Not like before."
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing his right palm. The red spiky diamond of the Genesis Seal pulsed with deep energy, slowly rotating.
Naruto closed his eyes, focused, and reached inward.
A beat later, Kurama's powerful chakra surged forward, and the Genesis Seal activated.
Thrum.
A deep vibration shook the floor slightly. Blue-red tendrils of chakra leaked from Naruto's belly funneled through the air, and swirled into Kakashi's palm like glowing threads of fire and smoke.
Kurama gave a snort inside Naruto. "He's pulling hard… tsk. Fine. Take it. But you better not blow up, Copy Ninja."
Kakashi didn't speak. His eyes narrowed, his hand glowing brighter with each pulse of chakra absorbed. The Genesis Seal spun faster.
The air thickened. The walls groaned.
"That chakra… It's getting heavy." Kushina stood slowly.
Kakashi didn't stop.
His body trembled slightly, but not from weakness, from power building up inside.
Crack!
A faint sound echoed through the room as if something invisible had snapped inside him.
A moment later, a shockwave burst out, not enough to break the barrier, but enough to make the furniture tremble and the floor shake.
"That's… Kakashi?" Kushina braced herself against the wall, eyes wide.
Even Naruto's eyes went round. "Kakashi-Sensei…?"
Kakashi's chakra flared suddenly, an aura of deep violet and red dancing around his body. The Genesis Seal on his palm glowed like a burning sun.
Inside his body, everything felt different.
Stronger.
Faster.
His body didn't ache, it thrummed with energy. His chakra wasn't just growing, it was evolving.
His regeneration, already enhanced by Katsuyu's enzymes, had doubled in strength.
His chakra control felt effortless.
His physique felt lighter and tougher. His movements were fluid like his joints had been oiled.
Most of all… his Yang chakra had exploded in power.
He could feel it bubbling through his system like the core of a rising volcano.
Kakashi opened his eyes slowly.
"…This," he said with a low chuckle, "is very different from the old days."
He closed his palm, sealing the Genesis Seal. The swirling chakra faded.
The air-cooled.
The shaking stopped.
"What… did you do?" Kushina slowly walked over. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
"I broke through," Kakashi said simply. "My chakra reserves are beyond High Kage now. Maybe even Super Kage. And the Genesis Seal, after absorbing that much pure chakra, is fully stabilized."
"W-wait… you mean you got stronger again?!" Naruto blinked.
"Not just stronger. Sharper. More refined." Kakashi said as he looked down at his hand, still glowing faintly.
He raised an eyebrow, then smiled lightly.
"If I took the medical route seriously… I might even outdo Tsunade."
"You're not serious, are you?" Kushina let out a laugh.
"Maybe." Kakashi grinned under his breath.
. "Uh… Kurama says that was kinda scary. He also says he's not doing that again tomorrow." Naruto scratched his cheek
"Fair," Kakashi replied.
"So this Genesis Seal… it lets you absorb chakra and refine it into your own?" Kushina crossed her arms.
"Perfectly. And the more balanced the chakra, the better the results." Kakashi nodded.
"No wonder your aura just punched the floor," Kushina said.
"So that means sensei's even stronger now… geese. What's next? Flying?" Naruto flopped back on the couch.
"Maybe." Kakashi's eyes twinkled.
"You're not gonna blow up one day with all that energy in you, right?" Kushina raised an eyebrow.
"That's why I made the seal. It manages everything. Regulates, purifies, integrates. Safely." Kakashi gave a small shrug.
"You're like… a super-ninja doctor now!" Naruto grinned.
"Don't tell Tsunade that. She might punch me." Kakashi ruffled his hair.
Kushina looked thoughtful. "It's strange. Minato used to talk about how powerful sealing could change the world. But I guess he never imagined this."
"It is changing the world."Kakashi looked at her seriously.
He stood up and stretched.
"I should go back soon. I want to write everything down while it's still fresh. And I need to reinforce the Genesis matrix."
Naruto stood too. "You gonna be okay? That looked like it hurt a little."
"I'll be fine. Just don't tell Kurama I enjoyed it." Kakashi smirked.
"I heard that." Kurama's voice echoed inside Naruto.
"Thanks for letting me borrow your son." Kakashi laughed and turned to Kushina.
"Next time, give me a warning if you're gonna shake the house," Kushina said while giving him a playful glare.
"I'll knock louder," Kakashi said, stepping toward the door.
As he opened it, he paused, looking back.
"I'm almost there," he said softly. "One more step."
Then he vanished into the late afternoon light.